Many in the press, especially those in New York and New Jersey, seem to have woken up after Hurricane Sandy and decided that climate change is real and we need to do something about it right away. Climate scientists have been talking about this for more than 30 years. Personally, I’ve looked at the data several times (2001 and 2007). There are multiple different ways you can look at the data. There is ground temperature data, sea temperature data, glacier melt data and tons more. One of the things that makes the climate change data so robust is that scientists are not depending upon one set of data. Instead, they’re looking at multiple different sets of data and they all are basically saying the same thing. Climate change (man’s burning of fossil fuels causing increased carbon emissions which in turn causes changes in the climate) is real. I sit down and talk with Joe Romm from the Climate Progress blog which is associated with the Center for American Progress. Enjoy.

Make it possible for workers to also be caregivers for children and elderly parents

Stabilize the costs of housing

Create middle-class jobs

Reduce energy and transportation costs

Focus policymakers on the middle class

These are just a few of the recommendations. Please click on the above link to read the whole paper. In my opinion, the key is to focus on the middle class. So many of our policies today are focused on the rich. We seem to go out of our way to make things better for the rich with the hopes that it’ll trickle down to the middle class. That doesn’t happen. Listen to the podcast in order to hear what David Madland has to say about strengthening the middle class.

I’m in the driver’s seat. I’m going to be talking with David Weiss of the Center for American Progress about oil prices. I will also chat with Professor Andrew Koppelman, the John Paul Stevens professor of law at Northwestern, who will be in the house to talk about the Health Care law. Finally, I will spend most of the 5 o’clock hour to talk about Trayvon Martin. You can call in – 828-252-4348.

Experts deny that drilling brings down gas prices, despite how often Republicans claim to have the “silver bullet.” Now, the Associated Press reports that an analysis of 36 years of Energy Information Administration data shows “no statistical correlation” between domestic oil production and gas prices.

U.S. oil production is back to the same level it was in March 2003, when gas cost $2.10 per gallon when adjusted for inflation. But that’s not what prices are now.

That’s because oil is a global commodity and U.S. production has only a tiny influence on supply. Factors far beyond the control of a nation or a president dictate the price of gasoline.

When you put the inflation-adjusted price of gas on the same chart as U.S. oil production since 1976, the numbers sometimes go in the same direction, sometimes in opposite directions. If drilling for more oil meant lower prices, the lines on the chart would consistently go in opposite directions. A basic statistical measure of correlation found no link between the two, and outside statistical experts confirmed those calculations.

Just spoke with Andrew Koppelman. Great conversation. I’ll have an update a little later on tonight.

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Errington C. Thompson, MD

Dr. Thompson is a surgeon, scholar, full-time sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats.

A Letter to America

There are many books which have been written documenting the issues of the Bush Presidency; A Letter to America draws the reader a clearer more concise picture of major policies of this White House.